Sometimes, it’s worth stopping to take a breath and look back at just how far we’ve come and the legacy that ADI is creating for animals.
Our sanctuary in South Africa, our rescue facilities in Peru and the animals we have returned to the wild are manifestations of what we have achieved and our ongoing work for change; animals saved emptying the circus cages, from the animal traffickers, from laboratories and the illegal trophy pet trade.
But perhaps most important of all are the results of the decades doing the hard, unglamorous, essential research, investigations and campaigning that leads to lasting change for animals, saving countless animals from suffering.
The animals at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary like Rey Cusco, Kiara, Mahla, Scarc, Chino, Coco, Max, Stripes, Tomas, Kimba Goliath, Coralie, and many more are not with us because of a change of heart amongst the owners who caged them, but because laws were secured to end their suffering. Their cages were emptied by ADI forever.
Our supporters are part of this story and I wanted to share just some of what we’ve achieved together:
Circus bans across the world — ADI’s investigations and campaigns have secured bans on wild animals all over the world, including US states, the UK, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Greece, Norway, the Netherlands, Singapore, Costa Rica, Gautemala and many more. What once seemed impossible, is now law in over 50 countries.
Historic rescue missions — when Bolivia banned all animals in circuses, the circuses defied the law, and ADI stepped up to do something that no one had attempted before. We set up a temporary animal facility in a country where there was none, we tracked down and raided every circus, we saved and relocated every animal. We did the same in Peru and Colombia, saving over 100 animals and airlifting 33 animals to South Africa. Then we did it again in Guatemala.
Wildlife protection and anti-trafficking work — from South America to Africa and beyond, ADI works alongside governments and law enforcement to protect wild animals in their natural habitats, saving and returning to the wild hundreds of animals – tortoises, birds, monkeys, bears. More than that, we secured regulations in over 190 countries (using the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) closing the loopholes circuses used for trafficking animals across borders with impunity.
Unlocking the labs — ADI ended the use of apes and wild caught monkeys in labs across the EU and has secured bans on cosmetics testing on animals in many countries. We saved millions of animals from horrific tests proposed in EU regulations, thanks to our ‘Keep animals out of REACH’ campaign which secured compulsory data sharing.
Ground-breaking undercover investigations — ADI’s footage has changed minds in parliaments and congresses, courtrooms, and dinner tables, exposing cruelty that industries hoped would stay hidden forever. Had it not been for our undercover evidence and footage, there would not be the bans on circus animals, the trappers terrorising and capturing monkeys for laboratories would still be plying their vile trade.
None of this happened by accident. It happened because people like you refused to look away.
If ADI’s work has ever moved you — if you’ve ever shared one of our rescue videos, signed a petition, or simply felt relief knowing someone was fighting for these animals — please consider making a donation today. Every contribution, large or small, funds the next investigation, the next rescue, the next law that changes everything.
Please also consider the most important thing you can do today, is to make a commitment to help animals in the future. By leaving bequest in your will, you are helping to ensure that our work continues long into the future. You are investing in a future for animals.
A legacy gift allows you to make a lasting difference without affecting your finances today.
The young lions we are working to bring from Israel could be in ADI care for over 20 years, like the youngsters we saved from Kuwait – ADI must be there for them. The baby tortoises we are nurturing for release at ADIWS could outlive many of us!
I am proud of what we have achieved for animals, but there is still much more to do – that is why Tim and I have included ADI in our wills, to ensure the fight continues to end all animal suffering at human hands.
Please consider including ADI in your will and make your legacy their freedom. A bequest now will not impact you today, but could make the world of difference for animals in the future. You can find out more about leaving a legacy to animals here: UK | US (FreeWill)
I am writing from our sanctuary in South Africa where Tim and I were expecting to be making the final preparations to bring home lion cubs Ben-Tzur and Ori from Israel. That operation remains on standby as the war continues, but we urgently need help to fund this unexpected rescue. In the meantime, ADI’s life-saving work and rescue efforts around the globe are ongoing.
We rescued sweet Chaska (meaning ‘bright star’ in the region’s indigenous language) as a baby from wildlife traffickers in Peru. Just like the lion cubs we are rescuing in Israel, Chaska was a victim of the selfish desire to have an exotic animal as a pet – no matter how inappropriate or the suffering caused.
We took Chaska to the ADI monkey facilities at Pilpintuwasi in the Peruvian rainforest where we reunited her with her own kind, along with Fausto, a woolly monkey rescued by ADI from a restaurant. You can watch her rescue in Monkey’s Miracle video.
The rescue was part of ADI’s ongoing work against animal trafficking in Peru which has seen us rescue hundreds of animals, including monkeys, turtles and birds as well as running education and awareness campaigns to end the trade.
It is a cruel industry that sees baby animals like Chaska and Fausto, stolen from their mothers, who are frequently killed in the process, and taken for a life of isolation in a small cage or on a chain. Many of the monkeys we have rescued suffered their teeth being broken off to prevent them biting, as they are handed around like toys for photographs by their captors. For profit.
Sadly, Fausto passed away, and so we began to look for the best options for Chaska, and an opportunity arose for her to not only to be with her own kind, but also the chance of returning to the wild – always our dream, but rarely possible!
In another challenging relocation, Chaska was taken by river, road and air to Ikamaperu’s Tarangué sanctuary in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Peru’s largest nature reserve in the Amazon basin. Chaska is already back with her own kind and if all goes well she will be rehabilitated into the wild with a new family. Tim and I visited the site and remember the trees full of wild monkeys as we walked through the forest around the rehabilitation location.
ADI has also rescued two more capuchins and a coati from the illegal wildlife trade in different regions of Peru.
Infant white capuchin, Miguel, was found by police, alone in a building in the Yanahuara district, Arequipa, and has made the 800-mile journey to the ADI facilities at Pilpintuwasi – another baby stolen from his parents by the traffickers; he clung to his blanket throughout the journey.
Miguel has moved into Chaska and Fausto’s old home, and the good news is he will soon be joined by another young capuchin named Alfred, seized from traffickers in Chachapoyas, a town towards the western edge of the Peruvian rainforest.
Our family of coati mundis at Pilpintuwasi has been joined by Chanchita, who was confiscated in Moyobamba on the western side of Peru’s forest, another sad reminder that wherever human populations encroach on wild spaces, wildlife is at risk and hunting and trafficking remain a serious threat to wildlife across Latin America.
However, thanks to our supporters we are fighting back for the animals, enforcing and strengthening laws and transforming the lives of animals. Chaska might be one of the very lucky ones that gets to go back to the wild.
Please help us provide lifetime care for the animals we rescue in Latin America, and fund relocations back to the wild where possible – keep supporting and helping our VITAL education campaigns to end the suffering once and for all. Donate UK £, Euros, Rand | Donate US $, CA $
I am pleased to bring you the latest on our campaigns for animals around the world and activities at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa. This work is only possible with your support.
Israel lion rescue update: Since January, we have been working on the relocation of two young lions, Ben-Tzur and Ori, seized from the illegal pet trade by Israel’s Nature & Parks Authority. In early February, we visited Israel to evaluate the cubs, location, transport, and arranged purchase of two travel crates as they had outgrown the ones previously allocated to them. We were just one import permit away from securing flights and bringing them home to the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa in March, when war broke out between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
Air space in the region was immediately closed, flights grounded, cargo and aircraft frozen part way through routes. We are thankful we did not find ourselves stuck at an airport for days, even weeks, with two lions in travel crates.
Although it is too early to say exactly when, and how, we will do it, we will absolutely bring these boys home to ADIWS as soon as possible. The team in Israel report that the boys are safe for now, but this is a dangerous and volatile situation, so we are on standby for any opportunity. We expect the disruption in flights and a backlog of cargo may result in higher costs, but we are sure you will agree that we must seize the first opportunity to bring them home. We therefore need your support for this immediate rescue, and for the lifelong care of these lions. Please give what you can here: Donate US $, CA $ | Donate UK £, Euros, Rand.
Victory for rabbits! After more than 100 years of suffering, the outdated rabbit pyrogen test is finally set to become obsolete in the UK. The test was developed in 1912 to measure what substances induce fever (pyrogens). Rabbits are immobilised in stocks and injected with substances while their temperature is monitored with a rectal thermometer. By the 1940s this crude test had been locked into regulations all over the world and so it continued, despite availability of alternatives.
Elimination of the tests by the end of 2025 was one of the first targets of the government’s ‘Roadmap’ on animal experiments, but the UK Home Office’s Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) remain a little vague as to whether this has happened. When questioned last month by ADI, they responded, “We are on track… an update will be published later this year.” Since we are two months past the deadline, “on track” does not seem feasible. Nevertheless, ADI will be pushing for the tests to be outlawed elsewhere, including the U.S. and Colombia.
An illegal ‘Pamplonada’ (running of bulls in the streets) and bullfight took place in Peru in February, promoted by the Lima Municipality of Rímac. Large numbers of children were in attendance, contrary to repeated calls to protect children from violent spectacles such as bullfights. A lawsuit was filed arguing that the bull run violated Animal Welfare Law 30407, and members of Peru Without Bullfighting (Perú Sin Toreo) protested outside the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Indonesia has become one of the first countries in Asia to ban elephant rides for tourism and commercial entertainment. The ban applies to registered conservation institutions such as the Bali Zoo, where rides were a regular feature until last month. This is an important step for elephant welfare in Asia. Elephants used for rides are subjected to cruel training and control methods, leading to painful injuries, and their backs are not suited for heavy loads. ADI urges others to follow suit and for travel companies to end all promotion of elephant rides globally. Never support elephant rides.
The San Diego Rodeo took place at the PETCO stadium despite increased opposition, a call for a rodeo ban, the loss of funding from the San Diego Tourism Marketing District and recent charges of animal cruelty and abuse. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to instruct the City Attorney to draft an amended ordinance prohibiting rodeos in December 2023, and we are still waiting for it.
If you live in San Diego, please contact the chair of the San Diego Land Use and Housing Committee, to urge them to stop the San Diego Rodeo from operating in the city: Kent Lee (Chair): 619-236-6616 / KentLee@sandiego.gov
Despite strong objections, the UK government has voted to include the life sciences industry as a ‘key national infrastructure’ within the Public Order Act, providing animal testing laboratories with increased protection against protestors, who will be at risk of fines and up to 12 months’ imprisonment if deemed disruptive. ADI advocated against this draconian amendment and though this outcome is a massive disappointment, it will not silence the voices raised against vivisection.
Numerous countries have restricted public access to fireworks, why hasn’t the UK/US? Such restrictions would still allow the public to enjoy fireworks on celebratory days, while minimizing the significant harms to companion and wild animals, the environment, the risk of injuries, and disturbances caused by increasingly frequent firework use. Please urge your local MP / Representative to call for action.
After a four-year delay, Colombia has published a draft decree to implement its cosmetic testing ban. ADI presented evidence to a government consultation to enforce Law 2047/20 prohibiting the testing of cosmetics products and ingredients on animals, and the import and sale of animal-tested cosmetics. Importantly, the law incorporates another provision, that non-animal methods to be used when available in all research, which was secured thanks to campaigning by ADI Colombia.
Washington State has reintroduced a bill to prohibit force feeding birds for foie gras and selling foie gras. Foie gras is one of the cruelest farming practices, with ducks and geese force-fed huge amounts of grain several times a day, causing their livers to swell up and become sick and distended. Once their livers reach twice the normal size and more than 10 times normal weight, they are killed. Immense suffering for a so-called luxury product made from a bird’s diseased, fatty liver.
Watch (or watch again!) our ADIWS residents, saved from circuses, the illegal pet trade, and wildlife traffickers, receiving some extra love this Valentine’s. Fun-loving treats enjoyed by our lions and tigers included boxes filled with catnip, lavender, perfume, and even donkey droppings! Coralie and Goliath enjoyed their first Valentine’s Day at the Sanctuary and only had eyes for one another.
The UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), is holding a public consultation regarding the caging of laying hens. Currently, only battery cages (pictured), extremely small cages which almost completely restrict movement, are banned, and only for keepers with more than 350 hens. The amendments under review aim to ban battery cages for all laying hens and to phase out enriched ‘colony’ cages by 2032. Anyone can take part in this consultation, find details here: https://bit.ly/helpcagedhens.
Paraguay’s new National Registry of Animal Abusers recognizes domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, as sentient and has established a framework for their protection. The new law includes that it is an offence to abandon them, prohibits their use where they would be killed, injured, or abused, outlaws bestiality, regulates certain breeding facilities selling animals, increases fines and sentences up to six years in prison for the most serious cases. This is an important precedent for the country.
The Bay Area Renaissance Festival is underway right now and is once again offering elephant rides. It is a myth that elephants are trained with kindness and reward; the tools of the trade include electric prods, metal bars, whips, bullhooks, deprivation, and intimidation. There is nothing harmless about it. These intelligent, social animals endure a lifetime of suffering for a brief ride.
This festival continues through March 29. Please send a polite message or call them today, urging them to no longer host elephant rides and pledge to keep their festival free of performing wild animals. Call: (352) 999-5946 | Email: info@bayarearenfest.com
If you live in the area and are interested in hosting an outreach event, contact us at usa@ad-international.org.
For over 20 years trail hunting in the UK has been a smokescreen for illegal hunting, undermining protections in the Hunting Act 2004. ADI and fellow members of the Time for Change Coalition Against Hunting protested outside 10 Downing Street to urge UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to launch the government’s long-promised consultation on hunting laws, without delay. Backed by over 36,000 supporters, we delivered an open letter calling for a ban on trail hunting – time to close the loophole.
Construction of the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary’s new Non-Predator Reception Area (NPRA) for small wildlife and domestic animals is underway. This will provide a much-needed safe space to care for injured or rescued animals such as antelopes, tortoises, donkeys, pigs, and horses. We are building eight paddocks, each with a stable/shelter power and water supply. The facility will enable ADIWS to help more animals, but we will need your help looking after these rescues, for life.
ADI has been honored with one of the first Top-Rated Awards of 2026 from GreatNonprofits. A good way to learn about ADI is to know what other supporters say about us – read some of our reviews and add your own here.
To help us continue with our campaigns, rescue and sanctuary work please donate here.
Jan Creamer 